Sports such as football, baseball, hockey, basketball, and soccer are immensely popular in the United States as well as many parts of the world. At virtually all levels, from pee wee up through the highest professional leagues, sports competitions take place on fields and in arenas that have designated seating and viewing areas for spectators to watch and enjoy the activities. In some venues such as major league professional events, seating is provided and, in some sections, quite plush and comfortable. However, in many venues, the seating, if any, is often rather primitive in certain areas and amounts to little more than a hard wooden or metallic bench or set of bleachers. Because of these conditions, many spectators choose to carry their own seat cushions to help ease the discomfort during, what at times are, very long contests. The cushions brought into arenas range in complexity from foam pads to rather elaborate self-contained folding seats comprising both a cushioned seat bottom and a cushioned seat back.
In addition to viewing the events taking place within sporting venues, many spectators desire to take a more active role in the experience. For example, many spectators wear the colors of their favorite team or even replica jerseys and hats. Still others bring signs and banners to show support. These signs may be simple, relatively small, images and photographs or more complex messages like “WE LOVE TCU!” or “GO TEAM!!!”
In recent years, many venues have established limitations on the size of material that may be brought into the stadium or spectator areas. Additionally, even upon arriving near the venue, many spectators must travel considerable distances from the car, bus, subway, train, or other source of transportation, in order to enter the event. These distances often limit the spectator's ability to comfortably carry large items into or near the venue. Fans who desire to display a banner or message almost always create such banners and messages before arriving at the venue. Therefore, as the events unfold, such fans are unable to present messages that are particularly pertinent to the specific circumstances the fans are viewing.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for a compact seat cushion that may be expanded to reveal a banner wherein the banner may be changed in accordance with the desires of the user. The current disclosure provides such a combination seat cushion and banner.